Global Perspectives on Science and Religion

“The stimulating essays introduced here by Professor Das provide a welcome contrast to the plethora of works on science and religion dominated by Western presuppositions. Gifted contributors, variously indebted to Asian and Eastern European spiritual traditions, offer new ways of conceptualizing and addressing the deeper problems generated by modern science. Whether the puzzle is the nature of consciousness, physical indeterminacy, or the potency of mathematics, whether the sure grounding of bioethical principles or the persuasive articulation of a process philosophy, there is an engagement here that is enthusiastic and infectious.”—John Hedley Brooke, Andreas Idreos Professor Emeritus of Science and Religion, Oxford University Gathering thinkers from ten countries and from a variety of scientific and spiritual backgrounds, Global Perspectives on Science and Spirituality leads readers on a fascinating tour of distinctly non-Western approaches to topics in these two fields. These voices add fresh and invigorating input to a dialogue which has thus far been predominantly guided by scholars from the United States or Western Europe. Scholars, students, researchers, and anyone seeking new ways of understanding the interplay of spirituality and science will discover in these truly interdisciplinary essays a multitude of windows into previously underexplored areas of research. Indeed, any one of these pieces could serve as the basis for entirely new programs of long-term study. Pranab Das is chair and professor of physics at Elon University. Having focused his scientific research on chaos theory and nonlinear dynamics, he is presently involved in the rich interdisciplinary dialogues that arise from the intersections of science and society. He is executive editor of the International Society for Science and Religion’s Library Project and the leader of the Global Perspectives on Science and Spirituality Program. During the past several years he has worked closely with scholars from around the world to bring their insights to a Western audience and to foster excellent research through their unique approaches to some of the key questions of our times.